How Zurple Helps Realtors Automate Lead Generation
Here’s how two sales associates use a real estate marketing solution with built-in behavior analytics to engage leads and foster long-term relationships that translate into referrals and repeat business.
In the 17 years since Erica Jolles earned her real estate license, she has relied on an automated marketing tool to help her build connections with leads. Called Zurple, the platform works behind the scenes, using behavioral analytics to pinpoint and track a lead’s interactions with listings—and then predicts that lead’s readiness to engage with a real estate agent.
“As their business grew, they went into the lead generation business, but that’s not a [component] that I use,” says Jolles, sales associate with Round Table Realty in St. Johns. The platform doesn’t deliver leads directly, she says. Her leads come from places like Realtor.com and Zillow. Instead, Zurple interfaces with those third-party leads on her behalf and automatically sends an email or text to the prospect.
Jolles explains, “The message typically says, ‘I’m sorry I can’t talk right now’ and asks, ‘Let me know when a good time would be to reach out to you.’” The recipient’s next move dictates the content of any follow-up emails—or whether she reaches out by phone. “It seems their behavior is what dictates how the AI responder responds to them as well,” she says.
Although Jolles can’t say whether Zurple helped her land a specific listing, she believes it has brought her business. “Often, someone will specifically ask for me when they’re ready to go look at properties,” she says. That’s because they’ve likely received emails from her since they began their online search. It’s all about timing—and Zurple knows exactly when and how to start the conversation.
Zurple has several pricing tiers, but she opts for a $90 monthly plan that excludes lead generation services.
Here are benefits she derives from the platform:
1. Maintain connections
“I’ve had several become multigenerational clients,” she says. “One adult child referred their parent, and they have both since sold their initial homes and bought new ones.”
Even if a prospect isn’t interested in buying or selling anytime soon, she leaves the automation on because she’d rather they unsubscribe if they don’t want to continue receiving her emails. “Zurple will continue to send out emails over the course of two years on my behalf unless I go into the system and make changes,” she adds. “I feel Zurple has [played a factor in] situations where I’ve created relationships with [transient] military people, government employees or others who [require] virtual showings.”
2. Home in on motivated leads
Zurple’s behavioral analytics gives Jolles valuable insights that help her distinguish serious prospects from window-shoppers. She credits the platform with being a real time-saver for her because it frees her up to focus on building solid relationships with those who are most likely to buy or sell. Also, the fact that all the communication appears to be coming directly from Jolles adds a personal touch that reinforces reliability and trust in her brand.
3. Fulfill needs
Whenever a lead expresses interest in a particular type of property, Zurple’s analytics immediately detect their behavior and notifies Jolles. This kind of intuitive understanding of what a prospect is looking for has been an indispensable resource, she says, because it helps her be proactive and reach out to potential buyers with options that she believes will resonate with them. “Zurple can also send people lists [of properties] as if they’re coming from me,” she says. “Once I get into a relationship with somebody, of course, I can turn off the AI emails that are going out and the person just receives listings. My personal tagline is ‘Happiness Maker, as my goal is to make sure all my clients are happy!’ and knowing the type of property someone is looking for helps me do just that.”
4. Broaden horizons
The platform also helps Jolles expand her reach. “I don’t have a specific farm area—I work from Palm Coast to Amelia Island,” she says. “Being from California, I’m used to covering distances and have no problem driving all over Northeast Florida.” If Jolles gets a lead from another time zone or country, the individual receives an automated response right away. “They think I’m awake and working even if it’s the middle of the night here,” she adds.
Although Jolles appreciates Zurple’s efficiency and accuracy, she does see a minor flaw. “It’s silly, but I wish it would let me sign my name,” she says. “It creates the emails and the salutations, but I’d like to use what I normally use so that it would be more in line with [my brand].”
“Zurple is a great tool that helps me stay in touch with leads with barely any effort—and people think it’s me, which is the way it should be,” Jolles says. “It’s also ideal for [maintaining contact] with those high-hanging cold leads.”
Building international bonds
For Susan Cohen, a sales associate with Amerivest Realty in Naples, Zurple isn’t just a tool—it’s a bridge that connects her to a world of opportunities where business relationships blossom into lasting friendships.
“I’ve been using Zurple for about 15 years now,” she says. “Real estate is all about relationships, and that’s why I have this program.”
Eighty percent of Cohen’s clients result from her effective use of Zurple. “It ripples because I become friends with these people, who then refer me to even more people,” she says, adding that she frequently works with foreign buyers from countries like Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
French connections
Over a decade ago, Cohen met a couple from France through Zurple. They hit it off instantaneously, and within two weeks the couple closed on a property she found them. Since then, she has visited them in France numerous times. “We celebrate holidays, birthdays and anniversaries together, and their friends have become my friends,” she says. “I even have my own bedroom [at their place in France]. They originally bought a condo in Naples, and now they’re going to buy a single-family home and a commercial property.”
Canada and beyond
Cohen also formed friendships with clients in Toronto through Zurple. “We get together every season they’re here,” she says. “They come to Florida in November and go back to Canada in April. I’ve also got friends in Vienna. I also met them through Zurple.”
When a potential buyer shows interest via Cohen’s website or Google Ads, Zurple captures their details. In her case, it integrates with her local MLS, to get insight into the lead’s property interests based on listings within those MLS systems. “Zurple notifies me of a new sign-up, and it’s up to me to reach out,” she says. “Stay consistent and persistent. It takes me about 15 minutes to do the emails every morning and every night, and I can do that from [anywhere].”
Cohen is grandfathered in as a long-time customer. However, she does pay for Zurple’s lead-generation component. “I spend about $1,100 monthly,” she says. “If I were to end [my subscription] and start over it would likely cost more. But I don’t care about the amount because, for the leads I’m getting, it’s well worth it. The relationships that I get from Zurple are long-term relationships—and I get to travel.”
Leslie C. Stone is a Vero Beach-based freelance writer.